Device for the formation of croissants made of puff pastry or the like

ABSTRACT

A device for the formation of croissants made of puff pastry or the like, said croissants being initially shaped into pastry rolls ( 12 ) starting from flat puff pastry, wherein there are at least two gripping or clasping and folding elements ( 13, 14, 15 ), connected by an articulated joint ( 16, 17 ) and suitable for being transferred, aligned with each other, onto portions of a puff pastry roll ( 12 ), withholding the roll ( 12 ) and being moved to a folded position thus causing the firmly held pastry roll to take on the form of a U- or crescent shape, there also being driving systems ( 25, 26 ) for the reciprocal movement between the at least two gripping or clasping and folding elements ( 13, 14, 15 ). The invention also relates to a process for the formation of croissants made of puff pastry or the like, wherein each croissant, in the form of a cylindrical pastry roll, is gripped by at least two jointed gripping and folding elements ( 13, 14, 15 ), maintained in a firm position and folded to form a U- or crescent shape by moving the two gripping or clasping and folding elements, before being released in a folded position.

The present invention relates to a device for the formation ofcroissants made of puff pastry or the like.

The term “croissant” defines a food product which is normally eaten forbreakfast. This product is “crescent” shaped and the shape is currentlyformed manually.

At present, the production process of this food product can besummarized as follows.

Puff pastry is made and cut into triangles which are rolled up; all ofthis is effected on a machine which operates on several lines to obtaina commercially valid and sufficient production capacity. During therolling phase, the machine can also deposit cream, jam or other similarproducts to provide a filling for the croissant.

When the pastry has been rolled up, the croissants fall onto acollection belt from which they are removed by the operators, folded andreplaced onto the belt or onto a different belt or onto baking trayswhich may or may not have specific cavities.

It should firstly be noted that the croissants, thus rolled up, do notfall simultaneously and can also be moved from the axis of theiroperating line.

In order to improve production and not limit the potentiality as aresult of the manual folding operations, attempts at mechanized foldinghave been made, but due to the various problems which have arisen, nouseful system has been obtained.

An objective of the present invention is to create a device or machinewhich is capable of solving the above problems.

Another objective is to be able to start from the removal of rolledcroissants, coming from a rolling machine, and fold them into a U- orcrescent shape, without any manual intervention, before depositing themon a work surface which can vary each time.

These objectives according to the present invention are achieved bymeans of a device for the formation of croissants made of puff pastry orthe like, as described in claim 1.

Further characteristics and specific details of the device of thepresent invention are also illustrated in the subsequent claims.

The characteristics and advantages of a device for the formation ofcroissants made of puff pastry or the like, according to the presentinvention will appear more evident from the following illustrative andnon-limiting description, referring to the enclosed schematic drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a raised side view of a single device for the formation of acroissant made of puff pastry or the like, in the gripping position of apuff pastry roll, with a roll at a distance therefrom, ready to begripped, together with the relative connections to the device,

FIG. 2 is a plan view from above of the device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a plan view from below of the device of FIG. 1 schematizingthe movement units of the device,

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 once putin contact with and gripping the pastry roll,

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view from below of the device of FIG. 1 withrotated arms,

FIG. 6 illustrates a plan view from below of the device of FIG. 1, incontact with and gripping a roll, rotated at an angle of about 90°preparing the pastry for its final shape,

FIG. 7 is a plan view from above of the folded pastry housed in a cavityof a baking tin, partially illustrated.

With reference to the figures, a device is shown for the formation ofcroissants made of puff pastry or the like, indicated with 11, which ispositioned above a puff pastry roll 12 previously rolled starting from atriangle-shaped piece of pastry, not shown.

The device comprises gripping or clasping and folding elements capableof being positioned and acting on the puff pastry roll 12.

In the example illustrated, the gripping or clasping and foldingelements consist of a combination of three box-like elements 13, 14 and15, having small dimensions, connected by two hinges 16 and 17. The twohinges 16 and 17 can consist of pivots or any other connecting elementwhich provides an adequate articulated joint. The three box elements 13,14 and 15 are in line with each other and comprise two external elements13, 15 at the ends and an internal central connecting element 14 betweenthe two external elements which allows them to rotate with respect tothe internal element.

Each of these box elements has a curved lower wall 18, with acylindrical/conical shape, fitting into the rounded form of the roll 12which forms the straight rolled croissant. Furthermore each lower wall18 is equipped with large number of holes 19.

Each box element 13, 14 and 15, is connected by means of an upperopening 20, for example connected to a pipe schematized in 21, to avacuum generating group, schematized in 22 in order to effect suction onthe pastry roll 12.

The three box elements 13, 14 and 15 in the rest position of the deviceare completely in line with each other enabling them to be housed on thestraight roll which will form the puff pastry croissant. FIG. 3schematizes in 25 two levers which can be used for automatically movingthe box elements 13 and 15 of the device when driven by a lever system,not shown, in turn driven by one or more actuators 26, associated withone or more of these devices 11. The device or devices according to theinvention will naturally be carried by a robot or similar system,installed downstream of the rolling devices and will collaborates withthese.

In this position, the roll 12 is gripped or grasped by means of suctiondue to the connection and activation of the vacuum generating group 22so that the lower curved walls 18 of the three box elements 13, 14 and15 block the upper lateral surface of the puff pastry roll 12, holdingit firmly. For this purpose there is also a certain pressure on the rollso as to bring all the suction holes 19 in contact with the surface ofthe puff pastry.

At this stage, the pastry roll 12 is lifted and the two external boxelements 13 and 15 are rotated by about 90° or more with respect to thecentral box element 14 so as to deform the pastry roll into a final U-or crescent shape of the croissant.

The puff pastry roll 12 thus lifted and treated has its final shape as acroissant and is ready to be leavened and baked in accordance with theprocedure normally adopted.

For this purpose, the roll 12, thus folded, is pressed on a depositingsurface 23, which can consist of a tin 24, or a conveyor belt (notshown), of various kinds.

During this depositing phase, a certain pressure is exerted so that theroll 12, thus folded and shaped to form a croissant, is completely incontact with the rest and depositing surface 23. This is useful to helppreserve the folding during the subsequent pastry processing phases,which generally consist of rising and baking.

For a correct release in this position, the air pressure inside the boxelements 13, 14 and 15 is rapidly raised to positive values so that astream of air is established through the holes 19. This stream of airhas the double purpose of detaching the croissant pastry roll 12 andremoving any possible pastry residues which have penetrated the holes 19during the previous suction phase.

It should be noted that the croissant pastry roll 12, due to thepresence of the vacuum holes and previous suction, has a series of smallsurface bubbles which disappear however in the rising phase; in this waythe product is entirely similar to that obtained with the manual foldingoperation.

This would not be the case if needles were used as gripping elements orperforation grasping elements, as already attempted, as these provide aninsecure grip and it has also been observed that the surface of theproduct, after leavening and baking, has very distinct markings and theproduct is therefore commercially unacceptable.

The device described is naturally one of the possible embodiments butthere are also other alternatives. For example, the gripping or claspingand folding elements consisting of box-like elements may also notinclude the central element 14, the two lateral arm-shaped elementsbeing sufficient to grip and fold the straight roll into the final U- orcrescent shape required.

1. A device for the formation of croissants made of puff pastry or thelike, said croissants being initially shaped into pastry rolls (12)starting from flat puff pastry, characterized in that there are at leasttwo gripping or clasping and folding elements (13, 15), connected by anarticulated joint (16, 17) and suitable for being transferred, alignedwith each other, onto upper lateral portions of a puff pastry roll (12),lifting the roll (12) and being moved to a folded position thus causingthe firmly held pasty roll to take on the form of a U- or crescentshape, there also being driving systems (25, 26) for the reciprocalmovement between the at least two gripping or clasping and foldingelements (13, 15) wherein said at least two gripping or clasping andfolding elements (13, 15) have hollow suction portions (18, 19)connected to vacuum suction units (22) and said suction portions arebox-shaped and comprise a lower curved wall (18) having at least twosuction holes (19) which suction said roll into contact with said lowercurved wall.
 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in thatbetween said two gripping or clasping and folding elements (13, 15)there is a gripping element (14) to which said two gripping or claspingand folding elements (13, 15) are connected with said articulated joint(16, 17).
 3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that saidgripping element (14) also has hollow suction portions (18, 19).
 4. Thedevice according to claim 1, characterized in that said lifting of theroll is in a vertical direction perpendicular to the surface supportingsaid roll.